How To Live In A Hotel

Here are some tips on how to live in a hotel. Amazingly, in some higher-price residential markets, living day by day in a long-term hotel can actually be quite a bit cheaper than renting a room elsewhere. Quality long term stay hotels provide free cable (including premium channels), free wireless internet access, free maid service, free incidentals (such as toilet paper, tissues, towels and soap) and a fully furnished room. Factoring in the price of these extras can easily make it seem worthwhile to consider living in a long-term hotel.

But before you dive right in, there are few pitfalls you'll need to avoid. Follow these ten steps, and you'll be sure to have a great time living in a hotel.

Request a room on the bottom floor. Hardwood floors only exist on bottom floors, and mid-level floors sometimes have smelly hallways that hotels will never allow on the bottom floor.

Don't get a room next to the front desk. Because of people constantly checking in, living next to the lobby is not a good idea. That's something important to consider when looking to live in a hotel.

Don't request a room too far from the front desk. Hotels generally take the best care of tenants/rooms that are visible to potential guests in the lobby. Some hotels actually have policies of assigning “higher class” guests within visibility of the lobby for psychological reasons.

Don't rely on the hotel for all your amenities. Yes, you want to take advantage of the perks when you are going to live in a hotel. Yes, you may get free toilet paper for your entire stay, but be assured that it is the lowest quality paper available. Shampoo/soap will also be free, but it will feel more like home if you buy your own products.

Don't leave stuff in your car. While never a great idea, it's especially important in a hotel parking lot. Anywhere that has a high turnover of residents from out of town magnifies your risk of being burglarized.

Buy your own pillows/sheets. Hotel pillows are not of the highest quality, and long-term hotel bed sheets are always of an exceptionally low thread count. It may be okay to put up with scratchy bed sheets for a short hotel stay. Yet, when you live long term in a hotel, you need to be sure you're comfortable over the long term. Just because you opt to live in a hotel, you shouldn't be uncomfortable.

Make the room seem like home. It's easy to just treat your new home as nothing more than hotel room, but do not make this mistake. It's your room, so make it feel like home. Decorate the room as you would if you were renting a studio, and don't get too caught up in the fact that you're actually in a hotel. Better that you feel comfortable in your new home than feel like you're a transient just on the edge of moving somewhere new. Live in a hotel and feel at home at the same time.

Be aware of residency laws. Living in a hotel means your permanent residence shows up as a temporary residence in many governmental departments. You will need to stay in the same hotel for as long as three months before some states will recognize that you are a permanent resident. This may affect your ability to vote in the district or ability to get a driver's license.

Finally, ask the front desk if you have any questions. Long-term stay hotels often have guests that live there on a permanent basis, so employees at the front desk will usually be quite well versed in some of the concerns a long-term resident may have.